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THE BEST OF...? PLEASE!

MIKE PHILLIPS | wilmington'de | 12/21/1999

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Once the music critic darlings of Canada, the Police-esque Payolas have all but faded into obscurity when they were one of the best of the 80's bands. So this is the best the Payolas are to be remembered by?Most of the cuts are from the same album! How about the incredible Won't Be Any Prisoners, or the anti-domestic violence Hammer on a Drum, or the giddy Waiting for the Light to Change or the perennial x-mas favorite Christmas is Coming? The Payolas deserve much better. The only reason they even get 2 stars is for the band themselves! And where are the original recordings, anyway. I can't find them on Amazon or anywhere else, much like the great missing CDs of bands like Dave Edmunds, the Dellords and Roman Holliday!"

The Payolas -- a great Canadian band of the '80s

Kelly G. Smith | Niagara Falls, NY USA | 02/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This great Canadian band of the '80s led by Bob Rock and Paul Hyde deserved a much wider audience. But fortunately their greatest hits are available on this compilation. "Where Is This Love," "Romance," "Eyes Of A Stranger," "It Must Be Love," and "You're The Only Love" are the gems of this varied collection. But don't let the love theme of these titles fool you -- the other songs have a much harder edge that will appeal to those who liked the post-punk echoes in New Wave. But this band is at its best when they just let the music flow and the songs sell themselves. The expansive sound and compelling lyrics of "Where Is This Love" make it the crown jewel of the collection -- the gradual layering of acoustic guitars with synthesized sounds suggest both the vastness of space and wide-sweeping earthly vistas. The lyrics with their "hammer on a drum" metaphor deal with a boy's desire to escape from an abusive home, but the mood of the song is surprisingly uplifting as it also expresses the longing for a spiritual love. This song alone is worth the price of the CD. The Payolas are a unique band and it's hard to describe their sound. You might call it a marriage of New Wave and mainstream rock with an occasional tropical flavor. The fresh, joyful exuberance of "It Must Be Love" reminds me of Men At Work's "Upstairs In My House" and "People Just Love To Play With Words." "You're The Only Love" is a superbly crafted romantic ballad, and the mysterious reggae-influenced "Eyes Of A Stranger" won a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy) for single of the year. If you like music from the '80s and the skillful integration of natural and synthesized sounds, Best Of Payolas might become one of your favorite CDs."